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2017 UIP Clinical Awards

The 2017 University of Iowa Physicians (UIP) Clinical Awards recipients have been named. The awards were established six years ago to recognize clinical excellence among UIP members. Individuals are nominated by fellow UI Physician members and evaluated by the UIP Clinical Awards Committee.

The awards are bestowed annually within six categories:

The Clinical Care Award is presented to the individual or team for integration of an innovative new program or process that improves patient service. This year’s recipient is Janet Andrews, MD, and the Perinatal Diabetes Program of OB-GYN. The program was started in 2016, and it was designed to provide pregnant diabetic women with easier access to communicate with their obstetric providers.

The Excellence in Quality Award is given to the individual or team to recognize outstanding quality of care provided to patients. This year’s winners were the team of John Callaghan, Charles Clark, and Nicolas Noiseux who consistently utilized data to drive performance improvement in joint replacement. The team’s quality care was evident in their metrics, which included reducing the length of stay and number of blood transfusions and improving patient satisfaction scores.

The Excellence in Our Workplace Award is granted to a medical director who demonstrates leadership and innovation that improves the practice life and satisfaction of providers in clinical care. The 2017 winner is James Brown, MD, from the Department of Urology. He is recognized for his devotion to his patients, his specialty, his students, and his profession. Brown exemplifies his effort in his daily practice, his leadership within the urology residency program, and his participation in various committees, societies, and associations.

The Best Consulting Provider Award is given to an individual to recognize their exemplary consulting or specialized services to the inpatient and ambulatory patients at UI Health Care. The 2017 recipient is Zuhair Ballas, MD, from the Department of Internal Medicine. Ballas goes above and beyond when diagnosing patients. He considers all possible diagnoses, regardless if they fall within his specialty or not. Ballas approaches each patient’s diagnosis with a careful thought process and an appropriate work-up plan.

The Clinician of the Year Award is awarded to a clinician who best represents those aspects of a truly great patient service provider. This year’s winner is Culver Boldt, MD, from the Department of Ophthalmology. Boldt exemplifies his great patient service by taking on complicated referrals and caring for his patients as if he were treating a family member.